Where The World Can See
by theletterdee
Summary: anon prompt from tumblr, Alice finds a picture of herself on Matthew's desk


Alice walked into the police station - armed with the latest test results for Matthew - only to find him not at his desk. Stopping short with the file clutched close to her chest, Alice frowned at the sight of his empty chair.

'_He can't have gone far_', she thought as she noticed his hat still perched on the sparsely decorated surface, his pen uncapped and thrown haphazardly down on paperwork. Knowing Matthew would hate for his pen to dry out when he still had work to do, she crossed the bullpen and laid her folder down next to his hat as she put the cap back on his pen.

Smiling softly as she put it neatly back on top of the papers, Alice ran her fingers over the nicked and scuffed surface of Matthew's desk - warmth swelling in her chest at the thought of Matthew hard at work at this very desk for years. He put so much of himself into this job - fighting to make things fair for everyone, even if he didn't agree with them.

Matthew put a lot of himself into this job, but he kept personal things to a minimum on the desk - Alice understood, she was the same way in the morgue. Work was work, home was home. Sometimes the line got blurred - if one of them got hurt or had a bad day at the office, they'd steal a quiet moment in a corner of the police station or hospital - but for the most part they tried to keep things separate.

Alice ran a finger over the brim of his police hat, her eyes moving from the hat to the familiar slightly tarnished frame that held a picture of a younger Rose (he started putting that on his desk once she moved back to Melbourne for work). Another frame held a picture of Matthew's mum - Charlotte Lawson - who'd passed a few years before Alice arrived in Ballarat; Alice never got the chance to meet her, but the familiar mischievous glint in her eyes in the photo told Alice exactly where Matthew got his sense of humor from. Next to his mum was a new frame - brand new, barely tarnished - and Alice felt her cheeks grow warm when she realized it was a photo of _her_.

She gingerly picked it up and took a good look at it. She didn't remember getting this photo taken - the way she looked off camera and the grin on her face told Alice this had been taken without her knowledge (probably by Rose at a gathering at the Blake household, Alice recognized the couch she sat on) Alice normally felt awkward sitting for a portrait - the last time she'd done one was at Jean and Lucien's wedding with the photographer catching her and Matthew off guard at the reception, getting a shot of her alone and then her and Matthew together; she'd liked those portraits, even if both of them came off stiff, but they were portraits of them together.

This photo, however, was candid and natural - capturing a moment of glee and Alice found herself smiling at the thought that of all the photos he could choose, Matthew chose this one of her to put on display for anyone to see.

"See something you like?" Matthew spoke softly in her ear - Alice could hear the amusement in his voice even as she jumped. It wasn't often these days that he could sneak up on her.

He soothed her with a hand at the small of her back and a kiss to her cheek; Alice's cheeks warmed even as she smiled, "You've a photo of me."

"Yeah."

"On your desk."

"Yeah."

"Where anyone can find it."

"Yeah… is that not okay?" Matthew asked.

"It's your desk, Matthew… and I… I kind of like the idea of you keeping a photo of me out where everyone can find it."

He smiled and kissed her cheek again, "That'll hopefully stop some of the snide remarks about us."

"Let them talk," Alice kissed him. "When was this taken?"

"I'm surprised you don't remember, sweetheart, it was at your birthday party - the one after Lucien came home."

She hummed, "Ah yes, this must have been when Lucien decided to serenade me as he brought out the cake."

A boyish grin crossed Matthew's face as he took the photo from her hands, "He said it was to make up for missing last year's."

Alice leaned her head against his shoulder as Matthew curled an arm around her shoulders, "Did Rose take this?"

"I did, actually, with some guidance from her," Matthew kissed her forehead, "And she developed it of course."

"You did a very good job."

"Thank you, sweetheart."

She leaned up and kissed his cheek, "Now I'll have to find a photo of you for my desk."

"Just not my police identification one," he chuckled.

"No," Alice shook her head and kissed him. "I'll just have to wait for the right moment like you did."

Matthew kissed her back - putting the photo back down on his desk next to the one of his mum. "Y'know… even if we ever get other portraits done, I think I'll still keep this one of you on the desk. I like it a lot."

"Other portraits?"

His cheeks turned red - as well as his ears as he cleared his throat and shifted under her piercing gaze. "Yeah… well, I just thought…"

"Matthew?"

"I didn't want to ask like this," Matthew grumbled. "I had a plan… romantic… to do it right and everything."

"_Matthew_," Alice smiled and gently made him look at her. "Ask me what? And what does it have to do with other portraits?"

He leaned forward and kissed her, "Marry me, Alice. That's what I was going to ask, and why we'd… hopefully have other portraits done, like Jean and Lucien."

Her smile widened and she wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him in for another kiss, "I kind of like you asking this way, Matthew."

"Then?"

She kissed him again, "Yes." Another kiss, "_Yes,_ my dear Matthew."

"Really?"

"_Yes_," Alice laughed as he kissed her. "Just no big party please."

Matthew grinned, "I've got a free day later this week, we can go pop into registrar's office."

"Bring the Blakes with us as witnesses? I like that idea, but how about we go in a couple of weeks, go up to Melbourne for it and then take a short vacation afterwards?"

"I love that brain of yours, sweetheart," he kissed her forehead. "That sounds perfect."

"It'll give us time to put in for time off and to plan, plus make sure both Jean and Lucien can take the time to come with us."

Matthew nodded, "And give us a bit to breathe, and get you a ring."

"Nothing fancy for the wedding bands and I don't need an engagement ring," she smiled as he kissed her again.

"What if I want to spoil you?"

"_Matthew_."

"It's an honest question!" Matthew grinned as she giggled. "You deserve to be spoiled."

"I don't need to be spoiled, I just need you. It's you I love, Matthew, not the baubles you can buy."

"I love you, Alice," he kissed her. "Or should I say… Mrs. Lawson?"

"_Doctor_ Lawson," she tapped the end of his nose with her finger.

"I would have thought you'd keep your maiden name professionally, sweetheart."

Alice shrugged, "I love you, Matthew… and this is one way I can show that besides wearing a wedding ring and keeping a photo of you on my desk. I'm proud of you, of us - no more hiding or worrying about what others will say."

"Bugger the lot of them, eh?"

"Exactly," she kissed him. "Let them talk."


End file.
